Eastern Watershed Improvement Project (EWIP)

In August 2008, Tropical Storm Fay inundated the City of Port St. Lucie with approximately 14 inches of rainfall within a 24 hour period. This rainfall event exceeded the rainfall amount utilized to set Finish Floor Elevations within the City and therefore several homes and businesses flooded. Many of the City’s roadways were made impassable and the main transportation corridor – US Highway 1 – was underwater for over a 24 hour period. The Port St. Lucie City Council authorized CAPTEC to provide a drainage study to determine the causes of the flooding and to determine what improvements could be provided to reduce the impacts of these types of rainfall events. The study analyzed four drainage basins covering a drainage area of over 4,000 acres of commercial and residential developed land.

As part of the study, CAPTEC analyzed the hydrologic and hydraulic components of the existing surface water management systems including the system of canals, piping, and 2 pump stations that serve as the primary conveyance components. CAPTEC modeled the overall system and calibrated the model against the Tropical Storm Fay event. CAPTEC then input various improvements based upon the available land and developed the plans to determine the most cost effective program to meet the current standards for stormwater management. CAPTEC has since developed the plans for the proposed improvements and is pursuing permits through the South Florida Water Management District and Army Corps of Engineers.